Adding that if you wish to squat on the toilet seat, clean it - your shoes are dirty and leave germs on the seat. This seems to be a cultural thing based on the fact it occurs in waves at our college dependent on the makeup of each new freshman class.

This post had me frowning and thinking……shoes? …….then, suddenly I got it. Okay.

I often use seat covers, but I’ve seen enough reports which prove the really nasty germs and bacteria are not on the toilet seat. Think about it – the outside part of our bums are not that dirty. The restroom door handle, the toilet flush knob, and the kitchen counter top are MUCH worse.

And I will never touch a grocery cart handle without cleaning it first, if I can help it.

I often use seat covers, but I’ve seen enough reports which prove the really nasty germs and bacteria are not on the toilet seat. Think about it – the outside part of our bums are not that dirty. The restroom door handle, the toilet flush knob, and the kitchen counter top are MUCH worse.

Adding that if you wish to squat on the toilet seat, clean it - your shoes are dirty and leave germs on the seat. This seems to be a cultural thing based on the fact it occurs in waves at our college dependent on the makeup of each new freshman class.

I often use seat covers, but I’ve seen enough reports which prove the really nasty germs and bacteria are not on the toilet seat. Think about it – the outside part of our bums are not that dirty. The restroom door handle, the toilet flush knob, and the kitchen counter top are MUCH worse.

And I will never touch a grocery cart handle without cleaning it first, if I can help it.

That's why I always use my foot to flush the toilet and use a paper towel to open the bathroom door. I avoid hand dryers. They blow germs back onto your hands. I'll flap my hands to dry them, and if the door has a knot I can't push with my elbow, I'll use a fresh tissue between my hand and the door. I always carry tissues with me.

That's why I always use my foot to flush the toilet and use a paper towel to open the bathroom door. I avoid hand dryers. They blow germs back onto your hands. I'll flap my hands to dry them, and if the door has a knot I can't push with my elbow, I'll use a fresh tissue between my hand and the door. I always carry tissues with me.

Me too, and I learned this at a work seminar run by the county health nurse. Also, if the bathroom has a paper towel holder with a hand crank, get yours cranked down before you wash your hands, as the crank is a source of germs. I use the paper towel to turn off the water, too, if it is not automatic.

While the ladies I share a bathroom with at work do a wonderful job keeping the ladies room clean, one of them has evidently got some very personal hygiene issues. The office has two sets of bathrooms for each sex - one with a pair of stalls and a shower, and a pair of "single seater" restrooms. I'm not sure who it is - and it must be an employee, because people must have an activated keycard to get into our office - but she uses one of the single-seater restrooms at about 4PM every day, and when I go in there afterward, the odor of unwashed female parts assaults me. I've actually just stopped using that particular bathroom after a certain point in the day, because it's truly rank - think "didn't wash or change the undies for a week while camping."

While the ladies I share a bathroom with at work do a wonderful job keeping the ladies room clean, one of them has evidently got some very personal hygiene issues. The office has two sets of bathrooms for each sex - one with a pair of stalls and a shower, and a pair of "single seater" restrooms. I'm not sure who it is - and it must be an employee, because people must have an activated keycard to get into our office - but she uses one of the single-seater restrooms at about 4PM every day, and when I go in there afterward, the odor of unwashed female parts assaults me. I've actually just stopped using that particular bathroom after a certain point in the day, because it's truly rank - think "didn't wash or change the undies for a week while camping."

I'm wondering if she is changing an adult incontinence or feminine hygeine product - that she has not changed since that morning (or possibly the day before)....because that is the ONLY way I can come up with to get that strong an odor without being noticed as being "unwashed" elsewhere in the office.

I suppose it is possible that there is some kind of medical situation that would cause the strong odor issue - but - sheesh - how do you tell someone to see a doctor about their female bits without staking out the ladies' room and mentioning that "there's an app for that" - it's called "see your doctor"!

I think I can generally rule out the feminine hygiene product, because the issue seems to be a daily thing.

I suspect that the person can get away with a little personal odor because almost everyone has her own office - except for the one woman that I work directly with, who I was able to rule out as the odor source by virtue of it occurring on multiple days that she wasn't present. A lot of people eat lunch in their office as well.

I think I can generally rule out the feminine hygiene product, because the issue seems to be a daily thing.

Not necessarily. I had a client who was having issues (basically needed a D&C or hysterectomy) but could not get it covered financially until she tried several other meds (that didn't help) first. She was miserable as she was changing pads every few hours all the time and was very scared that she would smell bad. If the person is otherwise clean I would tend to think something is wrong, but then again you never know.

I have also had clients whose hair seemed freshly washed and clothes seemed clean but they smelled of BO so bad it was overwhelming. My staff pointed out that those are always the ones who want to use our bathroom as well! Luckily being a medical building, we have LOTS of gloves and strong things to clean the bathroom with.

I have never understood the hovering over the toilet thing. If you sit on it correctly, nothing should be touching the seat but your thighs and maybe cheeks!

Adding that if you wish to squat on the toilet seat, clean it - your shoes are dirty and leave germs on the seat. This seems to be a cultural thing based on the fact it occurs in waves at our college dependent on the makeup of each new freshman class.

Just curious, where are you AnnaJ?

I'm wondering too.

Because I can guarantee you that I've just proved I'm an American.

I couldn't figure out whether you really meant that people are *standing ON* the toilet seat, and then squatting.

I always assumed that people squatted -over- the toilet seat, with their feet on the floor. Not a true squat, of course, but a semi-squat.

I would never put my feet ON a toilet seat--one of them would absolutely end up IN the toilet.

Adding that if you wish to squat on the toilet seat, clean it - your shoes are dirty and leave germs on the seat. This seems to be a cultural thing based on the fact it occurs in waves at our college dependent on the makeup of each new freshman class.

Just curious, where are you AnnaJ?

I'm wondering too.

Because I can guarantee you that I've just proved I'm an American.

I couldn't figure out whether you really meant that people are *standing ON* the toilet seat, and then squatting.

I always assumed that people squatted -over- the toilet seat, with their feet on the floor. Not a true squat, of course, but a semi-squat.

I would never put my feet ON a toilet seat--one of them would absolutely end up IN the toilet.

I'm in the US, and 'hovering' is certainly popular; the squatting on the toilet seat - yes, literally putting feet onto the seat an squatting - was not something I'd heard of, and only became aware of it when I said something to an admin assistant about seeing what looked like shoeprints on the seats. She's from another country and said that in parts of her country (and some surrounding ones) toilets like this are common: http://www.wikihow.com/Use-a-Squat-Toilet (note, this may be more info than some may want).

Apparently some students (this is at a college) from that region prefer that sort of toilet and insist on using 'sitting' toilets in that fashion.

I've lived a lot of years, I'm in the US (lived in 3 different states), I also lived in a college dorm many years ago. I have never, ever seen or heard of anyone standing on a toilet seat and I've certainly never done it.

I've been in countries where squat toilets are common, so it's not that I've never heard of it. However, it just seems rather odd that this is a problem where the whole class of incoming freshman needs to be spoken to.

Are there a lot of people from that particular country emigrating to your area AnnaJ? Are they all 1st generation immigrants?

I've been in countries where squat toilets are common, so it's not that I've never heard of it.

Yes, I have a few well-traveled friends and I've heard of toilet designs in some other countries. I've even seen pictures. But as far as the regular/standard toilets one sees here in the US, I've never heard of anyone standing on them to use them.